The 2004 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy winner, the Big East’s Offensive Player of the Year, and the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Year comprise the three finalists for the 2005 women’s M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer. The finalists were determined in voting by Division I women’s soccer coaches who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Portland’s Christine Sinclair, Notre Dame’s Katie Thorlakson and Penn State’s Tiffany Weimer are the three finalists for the award. The trio will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 6, for a news conference where the winner of the award will be revealed. The announcement will be carried live on ESPNews (7 p.m. EST). A banquet at the Club that evening will feature the formal presentation of the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy to the winner.

Sinclair, a senior forward from Burnaby, B.C., was the leading goal scorer in the country with 39 goals. She led the Pilots to the national championship and an undefeated season, earning Most Valuable Player honors at last weekend’s Women’s College Cup. Sinclair was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. She has been a member of the Canadian National Team since 2000. Sinclair received the 2004 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy and could join Mia Hamm and Cindy Parlow as the only women to receive the award in consecutive years.

Thorlakson, a senior forward from Langley, B.C., led the Fighting Irish with 35 assists and added 18 goals to tie for the team lead with 71 points. She played in all 25 matches for a Notre Dame squad that reached the NCAA quarterfinals. Thorlakson is two-time Big East Offensive Player of the Year and a member of the Canadian National Team. In 2004, she led Notre Dame to the national championship and was named the Women’s College Cup’s Most Valuable Player.

Weimer, a senior forward from North Haven, Conn., led Penn State with 32 goals, establishing the Big Ten Conference single-season record. She owns a share of the NCAA record for consecutive games with a goal (17). She helped the Nittany Lions to their eighth consecutive Big Ten regular season championship. Weimer was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. This is the second year in a row that she is a finalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy.

An exhibition featuring the current and past recipients of the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. Some of the biggest names in soccer like Mia Hamm and Claudio Reyna have won the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy. For a complete list of past M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winners, log on to www.mac-stl.org.

Results to be announced live on ESPNews Jan. 6

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